History of Religious Ideas Books in Order

Eliade surveys religious ideas from prehistoric burials through ancient civilizations and the Greek mysteries. Examining traditions in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, India, and beyond, he considers both the diversity of sacred expression and recurring patterns in humanity's search for meaning.

Continuing his religious history, Eliade examines traditions from Gautama Buddha's era through the emergence of Christianity. The volume encompasses ancient Chinese beliefs, Hinduism, Judaism, Roman religion, and other Eurasian developments, tracing varied responses to sacred life.

Eliade follows religious developments from roughly the sixth through seventeenth centuries, examining Islam's expansion and transformations within Christianity and Judaism. Alongside interactions among these traditions, he considers heresies, folk beliefs, secret wisdom, and continuing shamanistic practices.